Priyanka Chopra Jonas Is Learning Three African Languages for Bluefly

Priyanka Chopra Jonas is learning Swahili, Zulu and Lingala for her role in Bluefly. She told The Hollywood Reporter that she is working with a dialect coach on the three languages.

She plays Myla Reese, a United Nations interpreter, in the sci-fi action thriller. Russell Crowe co-stars as Benny. The two characters go on a covert mission in the Congo, and the film is directed by Nimród Antal.

The screenplay is by David Frigerio, William Eubank and Carlyle Eubank. Chopra Jonas spoke to the trade paper days before cameras rolled in Australia.

Her character's weapon is language rather than firepower, she told the paper. For a story about an interpreter, that is the central idea. Myla's tools are words, not guns.

Chopra Jonas has worked with UNICEF, the United Nations children's agency, for about 15 years. That work sits close to the film's United Nations setting, though the role itself is fiction.

On the business side, Highland Film Group is handling worldwide rights to the film. Worldwide rights are the deals that decide who sells the film in each country, and on which screens or streaming services it appears. Those agreements are often made long before a film reaches audiences.

Shooting in Australia has begun, and the interpreter's languages will be part of the work from the first day on set.